If Hippocrates lived today, he would put forward a basic set of ethical and behavioral guidelines – a code, if you will – by which healthcare ought to be practiced. Four simple tenets define the code: quality and safety, access, outcomes, and the resulting cost of care.
Every patient and every healthcare professional today has these essential deliverables in mind for every patient transaction. Although occasionally slighted or overlooked, they remain innumerable. Yet when we look around today, we see significant change driven by the introduction of new technologies. These new tools often push aside our focus on the guidelines we agreed to follow when caring for patients. Let me describe them again.
First, the quality of healthcare services must ensure patient safety.
Second, we must offer easy access to healthcare services and measure their outcomes.
Third, outcomes must be satisfactory to both the clinician and patient, and
Fourth, we embrace an investment-responsible process that benefits the patient, healthcare provider, and society, and we manage the process to assure successful outcomes.
These four guidelines deliver superior outcomes when performed at the highest levels. This delivery system is inherently efficient, cost-effective, and satisfies patient needs. What do you think about this approach? I look forward to your thoughts, so please submit your comments in this post.
